#3 Seduction and its Dignified Alternatives
Exposing Counterfeits access to Favour and how to recover from them
Welcome to our Series on Divine Favour and the Exposure of Counterfeit access to Favour. If you’re just joining us, here’s where we are at, and what’s ahead:
Divine Favour: The dignified alternative to Begging, Bootlicking, Seduction and Lobbying
#3 Seduction and its Dignified Alternatives ←This post
#4 Lobbying and its Dignified Alternatives (Coming Soon)
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In this post, I’ll expose the third counterfeit access, Seduction — which I consider the most dangerous of all counterfeit access. Let’s get into it.
SEDUCTION — Obtain Favour by enticing someone to do or believe something inadvisable or foolhardy or to lead a target astray by false pretence. Using what one has to get what you want — Money or Looks etc.
Seduction is the most dangerous and destructive counterfeit access to Favour. Unlike other counterfeit access, we have explored so far — begging and bootlicking — It affects both the Seducer and the seduced.
Seduction facilitates the illegitimate exchange of something one has (e.g. good looks, sexual appeal, money or gifts) for favours not deserved.
This illegitimate exchange happens mostly in superior-subordinate relationships — e.g. employee-to-employer, student-to-lecturer etc. In these contexts, the desired favours are promotions and career advancements, preferential treatment, higher grades, sexual pleasure etc.
Seduction cuts both ways. The Seducer may even be someone in a higher position demanding something from someone in a lower estate. Or else, how can you explain a top-ranking manager demanding Sex from the office cleaner with the lure of money or gifts?
The word Seduction stems from Latin and means literally “leading astray”.
Seduction uses temptation and enticement to arouse and deceive the seduced towards a choice or action they would not have made if they were not in that state of arousal.
The temptations and enticements involved in Seduction can be monetary or sexual — i.e., in cash or kind.
Seduction experts advise that seducers should look out for unmet needs in their “victims” and fill that needs in a way that has never been done before.
Seducers take advantage of the weaknesses in the personality and character of the seduced to exploit their basic human instincts, desires, and needs to obtain Favour from of them.
Seducers put the seduced in a vulnerable position (an undue state of arousal), so they can be taken advantage of — similar to the horrific use of date-rape drugs.
Ultimately, Seduction is a form of Witchcraft. The heightened arousal produced by Seduction is a type of manipulation characteristic of Witchcraft.
The mechanism of Witchcraft is enchantment — the state of being under a spell.
Seducers put their victims under a spell using Sex or Money as bait. The seduced is then manipulated to act in the manner intended by the seducer — this is pure witchcraft, necromancy and flat-out sorcery!
Nahum showed us the connection between harlotry and Witchcraft, which was also re-echoed in Revelations 17 and 18.
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. (Nahum 3:4)
Seduction cost Samson his eyes; Eve lost paradise to the Seduction of the Serpent. Unfortunately, God commanded, “suffer not a witch to live!” (Exo 22:18).
The root cause of Seduction is Selfishness.
The selfish only act in their own best interest — concerned chiefly with their profit or pleasure. They are not concerned about the impact of the consequence of their actions on others.
Seducers have a selfishly demanding approach to the world; they deeply believe they have been endowed with specific traits and resources to get what they want from the world, regardless of the consequence.
Seduction Arsenals — Sex and Money
Seducers often use Sex and Money (plus all those things money can buy) to obtain false Favour. This usage context is so unnatural that it reduces Favour to a transaction.
As a Christian and a person of faith in Christ Jesus, you cannot use Sex and Money to buy Favour. You will always end up with spiritual buyer’s remorse. Why?
1. Sex-based Seduction to obtain Favour is Harlotry.
Proverbs 7 describes the modus operandi of the Seducer — sexy dresses, philandering, flattery, kisses and amorous touches.
Solomon described the victim’s characteristics — a foolish young man who lacks judgment (or is void of understanding). The young man, though naive, had his weaknesses exploited.
Unfortunately, this Seducer succeeded. The consequence was reported as follows:
He followed her at once,
like an ox going to the slaughter.
He was like a stag caught in a trap,
awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.
He was like a bird flying into a snare,
little knowing it would cost him his life.
For she has been the ruin of many;
many men have been her victims.
Her house is the road to the grave.
Her bedroom is the den of death.
(Pro 7:22,23,26,27 - NLT)
This is why I think Seduction is the most dangerous and destructive of the counterfeit access to Favour — it practically destroys the seduced.
A victim of begging and bootlicking may lose their substance or object of privilege. Still, the victim of Seduction can lose everything they own, plus their life!
The proper context for the exchange of Sex is Marriage. In marriage, a husband or wife is obliged to offer their bodies freely to their spouses as their due diligence and matrimonial service.
Outside marriage, Sex for Favours is Sexual Opportunism. Per Wikipedia,
…Sexual opportunism is … defined as the use of sexual favours for selfish purposes unrelated to the sexual activity, in which case taking a sexual opportunity is merely the means to achieve a quite different purpose, for example, to advance one's career or obtain status or money….
Sex, in its purest form in marriage, is used to demonstrate Love and Submission to each other. The man and the woman are naked and not ashamed (Gen 2:25). They have submitted and relinquished the control of their bodies to the other party.
A wife or husband should not commercialise or “transactionalize” Sex to squeeze more money or gain respect from their spouses. When Sex is commercialised like this, it is reduced to prostitution (Sex-worker is the modern “woke” terminology).
2. Possession-based Seduction to obtain Favour is Bribery.
A bribe is offering a gift of money or other inducement to dishonestly persuade (someone) to act in one's favour.
The seduced is offered money (or things money can buy), a position or status to obtain undeserved Favour.
A major scandal broke out in 2019. About 50 wealthy Americans, including Hollywood stars, were investigated for involvement in a $25 million scam to help get their children into elite schools like Yale and Stanford.
Reuters reported that the scam “was masterminded at a small college-preparation company” and “…relied on bribes to coaches, phoney test takers and even doctored photos misrepresenting non-athletic applicants as elite competitors to gain admissions for the offspring of rich parents”.
A bribe’s devious and poisonous reality is that it blinds the seduced to be led astray by the Seducer (Exo 23:8).
The Bible, in several scriptures, already prescribed a curse to those who take advantage of the blind (Deut 27:18; Deut 16:19; Lev 19:14).
When blindness sets in, the seduced gropes around. The seduced are not sensitive to the divine opportunities ahead; they become victims of oppression and robbery and ultimately will never succeed in anything they do. Such individuals can never please God from now on (Deut 28:29; Isa 59:10; Lam 4:14).
Solomon warned many years ago, “My son, if sinners seduce you, don’t consent, don’t yield” because whatever is obtained by Seduction is ill-gotten. And leads to the destruction of the one that has it (Pro 1:10,19).
The proper context for exchanging money is in legitimate transactions, i.e. buying and selling goods or services or simply gifting something as an act of benevolence or responsibility. Outside these, gifts blind the clear-sighted — don’t take it and don’t give it.
Dignified Alternative to Seduction — True Love in fear of God
The affection for and sincere interest in another’s welfare; and acting in a manner to improve the lot of another.
Paul told the Corinthians, “I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you because what I want is not your possessions but you”.
When your acts of love are sincere and genuine, it unlocks doors of Favour in your direction.
Paul admonished, “If I offer my body to be burnt and there is no love, it profits me nothing.” The profits that will come from what we give or do is a function of the Love-motive behind it.
Love doesn’t take advantage of or exploit the Weak but instead uses strength to eliminate the weakness.
The resolve of lovers is:
Therefore, if [my eating a certain] food causes my brother to stumble, I will not eat [such] meat ever again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. (1 Cor 8:13)
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble. (Rom 14:21)
A typical example was Job. Rather than worsen the condition of the blind, Job became eyes to the blind. He also became feet to the lame, father to the fatherless and husbands to the widow (Job 29:15). No wonder Job was such a blessed man.
The book of Proverbs concluded beautifully on this note:
Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a person who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give them the rewards and favours of the works of their hands, and let their works be recognised and broadcasted at the gates. (Pro 31:30-31, Paraphrased)
In Conclusion
My wife says, “You can’t work for everything; you will always need Favour in this life.”
There are indeed many things money cannot buy; there are many things Sex cannot procure.
In Maslow’s hierarchy, the needs for Love, Friendship, and Esteem are vital human needs that money nor Sex cannot meet. Those dimensions of needs can only be met by Divine Favour.
I deduced the concept of 360° Favour from John maxwell’s concept of the 360° leader.
Just like the 360° leader leads from anywhere in the organisation, 360° Favour can be received from anyone in the organisation, community or society (irrespective of their socioeconomic status). It means obtaining Favour from above, across and below your socioeconomic status and level.
You and I will need Favour from the security man in your residential estate, the guard at our office entrance, or the server at our staff canteen. I know for a fact that a guard can mess you up! The lady serving food or cleaning the tables at the staff canteen can mess you up! (You may decide to deal with them later, but the damage has already been done.)
Money or Sex can’t buy that; it becomes “mechanical”, a drudgery and very unreal. Mechanically induced Favour is Favour obtained under duress — the unrealness sucks the satisfaction from it.
Only morally bankrupt and critically deprived human beings will be satisfied with being liked because of what they have or possess.
Interestingly, Seduction doesn’t leave both the Seducer and seduced the same. A seducer cannot lead the seduced towards a destination the Seducer is not headed themselves — when the blind leads the blind, they both end up in a ditch! Or what do you think? Leave a comment below 👇
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Azubuike,✌️